


Uneasy Are The (Woman's) Shoulders That Wear The Chief's Cloak

by AHeartForStories



Series: Lesbian!Hiccstrid UA (Universe alteration) [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Female Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Fluff, Genderbending, Genderswap, Hiccstrid - Freeform, Lesbians, and it's LATE, don't quite know how to tag this, genderswap AU, hiccstrid are lesbians, hiccup is a woman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25885978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHeartForStories/pseuds/AHeartForStories
Summary: Lesbean Hiccstrid. The line of Chieftains on Berk has always been predominantly male. Either the chiefdom was passed from father to son or the usurper at the time happened to be a man as well. That changes when Stoick names his only born child, a daughter, his heir. After his passing, Hiccup struggles with feelings of anxiety and Astrid is there to whisk them away.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Series: Lesbian!Hiccstrid UA (Universe alteration) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884310
Comments: 11
Kudos: 49





	Uneasy Are The (Woman's) Shoulders That Wear The Chief's Cloak

**Author's Note:**

> At first this was going to be called "In A Man's World", but then I thought of this title last minute and I liked it better. Even if it's a mouthful.  
> Inspired by a friend.  
> Constructive criticism is appreciated!  
> Enjoy!

Her hands are usually so steady. When mapping their known world, they do not tremble as she places every careful detail. In the forge, as every beat of the hammer meets hot metal, the force does not make their grip falter. Even high in the sky, when she and Toothless are one with the clouds, they are firmly rooted on the saddle. They do not give in no matter how wild their tricks and rolls may get.

But now, her hands tremble.

Just weeks ago, in the aftermath of Stoick's passing, his daughter and only child has succeeded him. It is exactly as he wished would happen when he named her his heir shortly after her birth.

It means Hiccup bears a big responsibility from now on. One she'd always hoped she would never need to call hers. She'd pushed the mere notion of her as her father's successor so far away that she'd fled in a panic the morning Stoick the Vast decided that his daughter was ready.

But her fears have come true and she has become Berk's most recent Chief. Having actually arrived at this, to her unexpected, chapter in her life, she would've preferred to have had her father here to guide her. She is completely unprepared. Neither mentally, nor emotionally.

If she knew fleeing from Berk that morning would've lead to this outcome, she might have chosen a different path. Not that she regrets having Eret, Son of Eret, or Valka in her life now. Or the entire pack from the Sanctuary.

In her eyes, she isn't her father and she can never live up to him. How can you become someone that great when you're not? The people of the Hooligan tribe loved him and, up until five whole years ago, they despised her. How can she lead a people she isn't sure will even follow her?

And then there is also the matter of having an heir.

She has always envisioned having a child someday in the future. Her, Astrid, and whoever the Gods decided to gift them. Not that she is the religious type. But it has become an obligation instead of a dream she wishes to have come true.

So much in her life has changed, is changing, or will change in the future and it's terrifying. This isn't something she can simply turn away from when it gets hard and it's bound to get hard.

But then there is another thing

There have been other Viking chieftesses in the Barbaric Archipelago before, the Berserkers have Heather after Dagur stepped down to be with Mala. But it is a bit of a new change on Berk and that is what makes her so nervous, too, what makes her shake.

This is because their chiefdom has always been passed from father to son. Man to man. Even on those occasions that someone simply took the position by force, it was a man that took it. Just like with Hamish the Second, who had his position stolen from his family by her own grandfather.

Just thinking about it makes her feel a little bit ill. Not just because she doesn't approve of that sort of violence, but also because Hamish was a runt. Just like her.

Another insult to injury is that she isn't a man either. She's a woman. Usually unbothered by her gender, except on a few occasions, as Astrid always imbued her with pride and confidence to the best of her ability. She knows of how insecure her betrothed is. Ruffnut, too, has always been so adamant in being prideful of her womanhood.

And speaking of which, Hiccup isn't alone.

"You are trembling like leaf." Astrid is here in her home with her. She speaks up to break the silence that's been plaguing this household for the better part of an hour already. She gets up after having watched the other get ready for tonight's event in an agonizingly slow pace full of obvious second guessings.

Astrid grasps her shaking hands to still them at last.

"I-I was trying to... The cloak." Hiccup attempts to explain that she was attempting to pull on the cloak the seamstress had made just for their Chieftess to wear for today, but she finds it difficult to do so.

There is to be a celebration tonight and her cloak is made to resemble her late father's. It is so that he may be with her as she cares for the village he left her, but it is a surprisingly heavy thing to wear.

This cloak, it is a symbol of her father and her new duty. And having this responsibility thrust upon her before her time makes it hard for her to simply put it on.

For many long minutes, Hiccup's been standing at the large chair on which it hangs, the furniture that is also so connected to Stoick. He used to sit in it almost every evening with a mug of ale in one hand, Gobber sitting on another stool with his own mug. The air in the room would be jolly and both her dad and her mentor blacksmithing would share stories and victories past with her and Toothless. Sometimes the other Riders would be there as well.

Letting go of her, Astrid faces the chair and takes the cloak from the back of it. She holds it out in front of her as if to inspect it. A bit big for her, but then, Hiccup _is_ tall. Still, she finds herself wondering if it won't drag on the ground for her, too.

"I get it." She then claims with a shrug of her shoulders, her thumbs running through the fur.

"You do?"

"Becoming Chief is such a big responsibility, Hiccup. And scary, too. And the way it happened... I know your dad had envisioned it a little differently." She says as she turns back around and Hiccup sighs.

Bundling up the thick fur in both of her arms, Astrid walks behind her to help her pull it on. Two metal claps are there to attach to her ceremonial chest piece, each with Toothless' likeness made into them.

"And I know that the how you got your new role and the meaning of it aren't all that weighs on you." She hesitantly continues. She's been wanting to bring this up, having watched Hiccup struggle with this matter for much longer than just these past few weeks.

"Oh?" Hiccup isn't much for conversation at the moment, so nervous that her words are failing her. A feat considering how talkative she usually is. Her everything is quite muted as Astrid throws both clasps over her shoulders.

"I'm not going to lie," Astrid smooths the fur on Hiccup's person.

"Most of Berk will accept you and some will give you trouble. Some of our allies will accept you and then others, both ally and hostile, will not. Just because you're you." She moves to her front again to put one clasp in place. She glances at Hiccup's troubled face before she turns her attention to the second one. Hiccup attentively watches her hands.

"It's going to be hard. Even if you were a man, this would be hard. But a woman... And after three-hundred and more years of fathers giving their seats to their sons..." She clasps the other, pulling just to make sure it's sturdy, and gazes back up at Hiccup.

Astrid knows that she believes chiefing is not for her. For years she'd tried to tell her father this, but if there wasn't something he still didn't want to hear even after their relationship had been mended, it was certainly this.

She didn't know if being Chief was right for her. She didn't know if it was right for Berk, having grown up with the seemingly unachievable standards Stoick has set before her.

Because she is a runt, because she is still so out of place even after having found her calling with dragons, because she didn't know if she could make it with the body and sex the Gods had decided to give her on the day of her birth.

In any other unknown that she has jumped into so far, there were at least some securities she could latch onto. When she decided to confront her entire village for Toothless, she could rest easy knowing that Astrid would do her best to keep him safe. When she faced the Red Death, she knew she would be saving at least her father and her village. When she trained the dragons, it was with Toothless and her friends by her side and with her father's approval. Even when diving into the Great Beyond, it was with the hope that adventure and new dragons awaited her on the other side of the fog bank that isolates them so.

But now...? What can she hold onto now?

The knowledge of Berk's long line of chieftains who were all men? The fact that she's been challenged and underestimated just for being a runt alone? Let alone for being a woman? That she might need to live up to expectations so unreasonably high that it might be easier to just give up?

Astrid watches her silently for a moment. Hiccup is an open book to her and she can see the growing despair.

"You won't be alone. You know that, right?" She asks her girlfriend, who looks back at her with an uncertain look.

"You know Toothless will stand by your side no matter what. And no way the Dragon Riders are going to let you go through this on your own. Gobber will conk anyone who dares challenge you over the head. Valka is here now. And... you have me." After attaching the cloak to her chest piece, Astrid grabs Hiccup's hands again as she finishes. The former's calloused by years of training in combat, the latter by years of blacksmithing.

A small smile appears on Hiccup's face as she finds her to be telling the truth. There are plenty of people who will support her no matter what.

"Snotlout would hit someone if they give me trouble." She says with a sure nod.

"Snotlout? Fishlegs would hit someone!" Astrid responds and Hiccup chuckles breathily.

Astrid smiles, too, and cups her cheeks.

"You are going to do amazing things, Hiccup! You've been doing amazing things for the past five years. Berk is better because of you and we'll be doing even better with you as Chief." She states with such conviction and maybe Hiccup doesn't quite see it the same way, but she appreciates her words.

"You really think so?" She asks, the hint of a more positive outlook in her tone.

"Yes, I do. You have changed so much. The reason we're here today is because of you. We went through some bad times, but we also went through a lot of good as well. And I need you to know that, no matter what comes, you'll make it as Chief." Astrid tells her, hoping Hiccup will see what she is telling him.

Hiccup takes her hands and removes them from her face to hold them in her own.

"Thank you, Astrid." Maybe she doesn't quite believe Astrid yet, but Astrid believes in her, that is all she needs right now.

"We should get going. Your people might be wondering what's taking you so long and you know how we, Hooligans, are. We can't wait to party." Astrid jokes and Hiccup lets out another laugh.

"I think Toothless is waiting outside for me, too." She says and Astrid briefly stands on her toes to press a brief peck against her forehead. Still holding one of her hands, she then pulls her towards the front door, one metal prosthetic foot thudding somewhat loudly against the wooden floor.

Hiccup's smile is more genuine as she follows her soon-to-be-wife outside. The second they leave the house, Toothless is there to greet them, purring as he sees his Rider and stands up from where he was lying.

"Hey Bud," Hiccup strokes the top of his head, a touch the dragon leans into. Astrid, meanwhile, deftly scratches him behind an ear.

He's been waiting for her to get ready for Berk to finally celebrate their new, and first, Chieftess. It took some waiting for the ice to have methodically been cleared from the village, but the day has come and Hiccup feels at least a little bit more prepared now.

The cloak tugging on her shoulders still feels heavy with burden, but with Astrid by her side, Hiccup believes she may be able to take whatever the future might throw at them.


End file.
